Is Anyone Else Going to have a No Presents Christmas?

hermanmunster_3

tesuhoha wrote: »

The only decoration we normally have is a large real Christmas tree. As this usually sets us back about £20-£30 we won't have that, or the Christmas candles I normally light, or the Christmas Crackers. I suppose I could put up some tinsel and some baubles that normally go on the tree. We do have some Christmas tree lights but not sure if there is anywhere they can go.

Now if being really imaginitive then try finding a branch off a tree - plenty of twigs, - spray it gold / silver if you get a nice cheap can and hang the baubles and lights on that - very stylish and very cheap - all you need is a large tree nearby and a handy saw and in my case an embarassing mother who insisted on finding just the right branch every year.........

tesuhoha

hermanmunster wrote: »

Now if being really imaginitive then try finding a branch off a tree - plenty of twigs, - spray it gold / silver if you get a nice cheap can and hang the baubles and lights on that - very stylish and very cheap - all you need is a large tree nearby and a handy saw and in my case an embarassing mother who insisted on finding just the right branch every year.........

We have an enormous Scots Pine at the end of our rather small garden but I'm not sure if I can reach the branches. :rolleyes: Silver paint :eek: That's a bit out of my range but might be able to manage the branch. Will not have to spend all those hours Christmas shopping so might have time.

gailey_2

Bit blue peter but if you got markers and paper what about paper chains?
Also one year I made cardbaord tree out of large crisp box(free from supermarket by cutting out 2outlines of xmas tree shape painting gree and cutting slits so it kind of slotted togetehther then glued cleap tinsel on it and hole punched ends to thread through and hand baubles.
This year im making my own cards and looking for shortbread and jam recipies as pressies as picked lots of blackberries this year.
I think decorationd and nicefood more importnat than presents.
Previous poster idea about vouchers super idea might just use that one as skint too.

JoolzS

DH and I were in a very similar position about ten years and told our family and friends that we simply couldn't afford to exchange gifts that year. As it turned out, after some discussion, we now haven't exchanged gifts with anyone for the past ten years! I was talking about it with my mum the other day and she mentioned how nice it is that she doesn't have to worry about what to buy either of us, although she does miss getting "smellies", so I may buy her a "just because" present in the January sales. We've since extended it so we don't give or receive presents for any other days either other than "just because". DH would be impossible to buy for - he simply doesn't want anything and if I want something I'd rather buy it when I see it, or shop around for the best deal, than drop hints to my DH in the hope that he remembers at the right time.

I used to dread christmas but now I really look forward to it. Some years we put up decorations, sometimes we don't bother. Some years we have a full christmas dinner (DH and I always spend christmas day on our own), other years we have something completely different.

One idea for decorations, as you say you have lights, try putting the lights around doorways. I've done this a couple of times and think it looks really pretty. Tinsel can be hung on pictures on the wall, if you have them. If you have a fireplace, then you can twist some strands of tinsel together to hang on the mantle like a garland and this can have baubles hanging from it.

Whatever you do, I hope you have a good one.

Julie

RAS

paperchains - old colour magazines (someone else's if necessary) cut into strips and fastened with glue. Kept our teen/pre-teen occupied all day - cheerfully.

Tree - I like gailey's idea. And hermanns but paint with white emulsion or anything else you fancy and decorate with any baubles you have or HM decs.

room decs - head out into the gardens woods and parks and raid cones, ivy, holly, laurel, herbs, hawthorn or just garden plants with nice leaves or seed heads.

tree decs - any old broken necklaces with nice beads? Make into "dangly earrings" and fasten to tree. Silver paper, tin foil etc can be use to cover papermache shapes.

E-cards are great fun.

Or make your own cards with scraps and glue. My all time favourite was part of the page out of an old hymn book (Holly and the Ivy), pasted on top of a piece of brown wrapping paper overlaided with the gold paper out of a fag packet, then decorated with hand-drawn holly sprigs. it look a million dollars and cost nothing - the friend made them out of a piece card that was knocking about. Or go for a simple shape potato print.

You may not want pressies but what can be raided from the freebies board to increase your small pile of goodies?

Buzzbox

We do not celebrate Christmas with presents, only a big dinner! It's definately the way to go, spending time together instead of stressing on what to get each other. We'll still decorate to get into the festive cheer, bought a small christmas tree two years ago so that we'll have a proper christmas tree every year!

tessie_bear

i thin u do right but have u an artificial tree and decs from other years u could put up ?

beanielou

Sorry to hear about your husbands job.
Hope things pick up soon.
Have to say i have cut down a lot this year & nothing on CC as yet~yah me.

andy40

My sister lost her (temping) job this summer and is even more skint that usual. My parents are pensioners and I have had my LBM and dont want to spend anything, so maybe this year we will have a 'family' Christmas that does not involve so much spending and more being together!

jaja_3

Nice to see we are not alone.

Christmas is cancelled here. Lost my job yesterday.

We do always spend the day with family though, so get well fed. My parents have already said not to worry about presents, but they are getting on in years and not the best of health, so I feel awful about doing that. I already made all my own cards (did this to raise extra funds too).

So far bought 3 pressies for the daughter and thats it.

Trying to find something cheap and cheerful for the parents, and not so sure my Aunt will understand either.

tbh, I wish it would go away and I could wake up in January just now.